Friend and Foe
by SeedOfEvil7125
Summary: Adam seeks to unleash his fury upon team RWBY and more specifically, Blake. As a former member of the white fang and a constant nuisance to Cinder's plans, Adam is forced to take immediate action against his once loyal comrade.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Looming Darkness; Part 1.

It wasn't long until night fell over the city of Vale. Its streets grew quite as its citizens turned in early after the events that had transpired that evening. For decades, the city of Vale had remained secluded from the outside turmoil of the grim infested wastelands that surrounded all but it's western sea border. The people lived in peace, and many were unaware as to just how close their fair city was to the very creatures that threaten their very lives.

After the seal on the Mountain Glenn rail system was breached by the legions of grim, the Vale citizens received a taste of just what it was that lurked in the shadows beyond the safety of their city walls. Families kept to themselves; their doors locked and window shades shut tight as store fronts closed early for the evening. The shattered moon in the skies above the city seemed to shine less brilliantly this night. An eerie gloom had seemed to shroud Vale in an aura of fear and uncertainty.

Aside from the occasional Atlesian knight on the street corners, and the muffled sound of a local hunter patrolling across the rooftops, the entire city was completely void of any trace of life within its walls. Martial law had taken effect in order to help quell the worries of the people and give rekindle their mental state of security and happiness. Meanwhile, a revelation steadily reached across the lands of Remnant to the minds of it's leader. A revelation that threatened to inject fear and distress among not just those in Vale, but all the safe havens for mankind. Against the outside forces of grim, the cities were vulnerable.

The forests outside of Vale reeked with the smell of blood and carnage. Two male faunus soldiers bearing masks of monsters walked among the trees just outside their company's temporary camp. After the premature execution of their groups plan, the soldiers were forced to abandon their now grim and military infested caves under Mountain Glenn. The two soldiers patrolled casually around their camp; making sure the area was free of any imminent threat of the grim who inhabited the region.

"You liar," one of the soldiers said, "You ain't never even seen one of those goliath things, let alone seen someone take one out."

"Honest, I swear!" the other replied, "I saw the boss take it out himself! Man you should've seen it. I don't think even those Atlesian gunships could take one of those things down so quickly."

The first soldier looked back at the other with surprise, "You think? I mean, I know the boss is strong but- argh!"

What seemed to be out of nowhere, a beowulf lunged out of the darkness of the forest; its tough hide slamming into the unprepared soldier. In an instant, the beast had pinned the frightened soldier below his black form. Having dropped his gun in the fall, the solder attempted to reach for his side arm only to have his arm cut and bleeding by the creatures thick claws as it beared down upon it's prey.

"Get off of him!" the second soldier shot his weapon wildly at the beast, but through the darkness and his lack of skill, the soldier's gun was little more than an annoyance to the wolf creature. The beowulf shot out his gangly arm, hitting the assaulting gunman strait in the chest; knocking him down amongst the rough rocks that littered the forested terrain.

With the second soldier down, the wolf brought its attention back to the faunas trapped beneath him. Its bloodlust growing larger by the second as it bared its fangs; a low growl emitting from its throat as it reared it's head back in preparation for the kill. The beast's red eyes stared menacingly. It's target, the soldiers throat, was within its grasp.

The soldier looked into the eyes of the monster above him, then to the razor teeth which stank of blood and death. Fear gripped the faunus's heart, for in his mind, he knew he was already dead. The soldier closed his eyes to give in to his inevitable fate as the beast lurched forward.

But where the soldier expected pain and agony, he felt nothing but a ringing in his ears from the sound of a gunshot and the trembling of the beast above him as a sword shot through the creatures head; lodging the blade within its skull. The soldier stared in disbelief as the creature fell over; dead. Above him, the soldier saw the form of his rescuer. He wore the same mask as himself but also wore a long black jacket that commanded authority. He had red hair which served to further accent his dark clothing.

"B-boss…" the soldier spoke in disbelief. The commanding figure reached out toward the dead grim; pulling his long katana free from the corpse's skull before sheathing it. As he did so, the creature's body twitched several times before evaporating into the air as all grim do after death claims their existence.

The creature dead, and his men safe, the commander turned to leave before making making only a single utterance. "The both of you have failed tonight. The next time you fail, there will be no one coming to rescue you."

"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers saluted together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Looming Darkness; Part 2.

As Adam returned to the camp, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. As he looked around at his fellow white fang brothers, he saw not trained soldiers ready to give their very lives for the cause, but children with little more resolve than a dog begging for food at the dinner table. Already he had saved five of the look out teams who were placed around the camp to protect its border. The latest being only threatened by a single beowolf that was so weak it hadn't even developed the armored white plating that more powerful grim has developed through the years.

He couldn't blame them he supposed. Unlike himself, the rest of the white fang had never lived for years outside of the city walls. Fighting humans was easy, they were stupid, and predictable in their actions. Grim on the other hand, were merciless, and unwavering. Even the lowest class of grim would continue to fight even if their bodies were riddled which bullet wounds and missing limbs.

Still, Adam missed the days when the White Fang was composed of only the most devout followers for the cause. Sure their numbers have never been stronger, but the competency of its members had suffered. It was moments like this that Adam found himself longing for the past. There was a time when the White Fang was composed of faunus heros who had survived the great war. It was a time when those who heard the name of White Fang would prostrate themselves in respect for the conquering leaders who helped turn the tide of the war. Now those days were over. Those who remained in the group now were mostly young idealistic fools who despite their chanting against the vile human race were too weak willed to actually follow through with the cause.

It was because of this, that the White Fang had to recruit the help of the very humans they sought to destroy. Roman Torchwick was one of the last humans Adam would have wanted to work with, and for the most part tried to avoid at any cost. But dislike it as he may, Adam had no intention of turning down the weapons and money Roman had offered that the White Fang so desperately needed. Though even with everything Roman had given, Adam still didn't trust the man. He reeked of lies and self-gain. Even the youngest of faunus could sense it just looking into his eyes. In truth, Adam probably would have cut him down where he stood if it not for the order from Cinder to stay his hand.

If there was any human in all of Remnant that Adam trusted, it was that woman. Cinder Fall was the only human that Adam had ever allowed to command him. There was a mutual respect between the two of them. Both understood very well that a fight between the two of them would most likely end in both of their deaths. Adam followed her though not because of her strength but for her resolve. Despite her human affinity, Cinder was the only being in all of Remnant who possessed a resolve as strong as his own.

As he made his way toward the center of camp, Adam came upon a large tent placed upon the highest point in camp to command authority over the lower members of the Fang's chain of command. With his authority in the White Fang, there was no need to ask for permission to enter as he did so. Inside the tent it was completely dark aside for a single candle which sat on the only table in the center of the room. But before her could make his way toward the center, Adam felt the cold sensation of metal placed upon his throat.

"You really should announce yourself before entering you know," he heard the voice of young woman say in his ear.

The vague threat put a small smirk on Adam's face as he stood in the darkness of the tent with the blade at his neck. "If I thought you could actually kill me, I would have stabbed you through the tent before I entered." he responded. Adam turned his head to look directly into the red eyes of his would be attacker. "I could smell your human stench half way across camp."

The knife placed at Adams throat tense from the clear insult pointed at its wielder. Adam felt this and used the opportunity to affirm his authority. "If you really want to kill me, I'd be more than happy to oblige your request with a my blade."

For a moment Adam thought the woman would actually accept the challenge. But just as all other humans who had challenged his strength in the past, this one was no different. The woman grimaced before pulling her blade away and sheathing it behind her right hip along with its twin. "Whatever," she said casually, "I'm too exhausted to deal with you after all those grim I killed today anyway."

"Sounds like the words of a coward to me." Adam calmly shot back.

Adam heard the woman growl as she reached back to draw her weapon once more. He did the same; grabbing his blade, ready to shoot it from its sheath using the trigger mechanism he had developed for it. But before the exchange could advance any further, a stern but beautiful female voice spoke from beyond the flame of the candle on the other side of the table.

"Now now children, if you're going to start a fight you must be ready to accept the consequences," The voice said.

Both Adam and his opponent looked toward the voice at the table. Seeing the glowing pair of amber colored eyes beyond the flame was more than enough to quell any further fighting. "Yes ma'am," the two said together as they released the weapons at their waists.

The eyes shifted across the table to look toward the other woman, "Emerald, I want you to leave us for now. Go patrol the camp with Mercury. I dont want any interruptions tonight." As she said so, the woman's eyes seemed to glow slightly brighter for a few seconds before Emerald quietly bowed her head.

"Yes, ma'am," she said before leaving the tent as instructed.

Adam turned to watch Emerald leave before addressing the woman at the table. A hand emerged from the darkness to gesture toward the chair opposite of her. "Sit," the woman said, "We have much to discuss. You and I."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Looming darkness, Part 3.

Adam sat down at the small table in the center of the large tent. Aside from the light of a single candle atop the table, the entire tent was nearly pitch black. And despite the aid of his faunus night vision, even Adam had trouble discerning his surroundings because of the flame flickering slowly in front of his face.

The candle, Adam knew, was most likely a precaution. Cinder knew quite well that in the darkness the fanus were at their strongest. But this was also their greatest weakness as well. If needed, the candle would be triggered by Cinders semblance to create a light bright enough to blind Adam's pupils with a sudden burst of light. Knowing this, Adam was sure that whatever Cinder wanted to talk to him about, he wasn't going to like it.

"I'll get right to the point," Cinder began, "What do you know about a miss Blake Belladonna?" Adam sat up straight in his chair. Though his eyes were covered by his grim mask, Cinder could could easily discern an expression of surprise and interest upon the commander's face.

"She was…one of our former comrades," Adam replied, "One of the best in fact. My self included, there were few in the White Fang who could match her cunning and skill. Why do you ask?"

Cinder tossed her scroll communicator on the table top. upon hitting the wood surfaced, the device projected a large hologram screen in front of Adam. In the hologram was at least twenty pictures of Blake. Images that had been secretly gathered most likely by one of Cinders agents. They featured Blake fighting grim with a team of three other girls in Vale that morning, as well as what looked to be Blake in a school uniform sitting in a classroom and laughing with the same three women.

Adam studied the images for a few seconds before responding, "Beacon? She's becoming a huntress. Why?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Cinder said from the darkness behind the candle still flickering slowly upon the table. "I was under the impression that those who betrayed the White Fang were eliminated," The tone in Cinder's voice switched to a more stern tone, "But from what I can see, that impression appears to be incorrect."

Though it was true that Blake was once a member of the White Fang, she had deserted the organization after helping Adam rob a military supply train traveling through Forever Fall. After the event, Adam tried to track her down but was unsuccessful in doing so. During this time, Adam had simply assumed she was living somewhere on her own to better the cause in her own way. He had never given it a second thought that she might have betrayed the organization she had fought so hard to build up.

The hologram dissipated leaving Adam and Cinder in the dim candle light once more. Unfazed by Cinder's tone, Adam responded, "Yes, it is true that deserters are eliminated," he responded stoically, "But at the time, we had no reason to think she would side with humans against us."

"Unacceptable," Cinders amber eyes began glowing through the darkness shrouding her face, "I will not have any loose ends interfering with our plans. Already this girl and her team have become a thorn in my side. I want them eliminated."

Adam remained silent while contemplating the situation; arms folded across his chest with his head bowed low in thought. After several seconds, he spoke, "You are correct. Loose ends are dangerous. But the way I see it, there are two ways to deal with loose ends. You can either cut it off completely," he raised his head to look at Cinder across the table," or you can re-tie the string and make the knot stronger.

Cinder raised an eyebrow from behind the veil the darkness, "What did you have in mind?"

"Blake is no ordinary faunus. Apart from you, Blake was the only person who could fight on par with myself. You would benefit far more from her cooperation than you would her destruction."

Cinder stared inquisitively at Adam; unsure of what he was trying to say. "And how, pray tell do you intend to convince her to join our side?"

A smile formed on Adam's face, "I don't know how long she has been working with humans, but I can assure you of this. Blake Belladonna is no friend of humans. I've known her longer than anyone else, and there are none more suited than I to remind her of why we fight against mankind."

Cinder leaned back in her chair at the table. Adam was not ordinarily one who would overestimate his own strength and ability. No, in-fact on many occasions Adam has proved himself to be more reliable than most. In any case, Cinder still had to be sure of Adams success.

"And what should happen if you were to fail?" Cinder asked, "I can't risk you being captured and sent to prison like our good friend Roman."

Adam frowned at the mention of that fool of man. "Roman was no where near as skilled as I, and he somehow managed to elude authorities for years. No, I assure you. You have nothing to fear. Give me one week, and I will bring you Blake as an ally for our cause."

Cinder let a light chuckle emit from her lips; a smile forming on her face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for this faunus girl."

"Only in that I admire her skill and resolve." he replied calmly, "Blake was a member of the White Fang once. I can make her one again."

"Just how do you intend to accomplish such a feat?" asked Cinder.

Adam smiled with a grin that would make an ursa's teeth look inferior, "Blake has long lived a life on the fence between humans and her own kind. All it will take is a push in the right direction. And luckily I know just how to tip the scales in our favor."

"And should she choose her new human friends over you and the rest of the White Fang? What will you do then?"

Adam stood from his chair and in one fluid motion drew his red katana blade and stabbed it through the scroll device still resting upon the table. "Then I will kill her along with the rest of this team of hers. You have my word on that."

**Author notes: Well if you've made it this far through the story, I suppose I should thank you. I came up with this story one day at work while trying to think of what I feel could/might/want to happen in volume 3 of RWBY. Following this chapter, each chapter will most likely have its own name. The reason these first 3 chapters being part 1,2,3 was due to me underestimating my ability to write long chapters. Originally all three were supposed to be one single chapter. Im going to do my best to create a story that wont screw up too much canon material, so that it could nestle itself right between volumes 2 and 3 with as little conflict as possible. Next chapter will feature our favorite 4 heroines, and I have no idea how to create funny banter between them, so we'll see where that goes. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Uncertainty.

For team RWBY, life back at Beacon was a welcome luxury. Though in truth the team had only been gone for a couple days, it still felt nice for the huntresses in training to be able to sleep in their warm beds without the fear of late night grim attacks or one of their team mates going missing again.

"Uh guys, wheres Yang?" Ruby sat up in bed half asleep rubbing one of eyes as the other looked toward the empty sheets across the room where her sister was supposed to be sleeping. Ruby looked around the room at her team mates. Blake slept quietly underneath Yang's bunk while Weiss slept under her own. Neither of them had heard Ruby's question.

Deciding not to disturb her teammates, Ruby quietly dropped down to the floor of the dorm room; her feet hitting the carpet below with a muffled thud. Ruby looked back toward the sound of a high pitched whine behind her as she landed. Zwei sat there on Weiss's pillow, just above her sleeping teammates head, snuggled against her white hair as he raised his head; intrigued with Ruby's sudden drop from the bunk bed above.

'Shhh", Ruby whispered as she pressed a finger against her lips, "Go back to bed Zwei, Im just going out for a bit." The dog tilted his head panting stupidly with an adorable look on his face before settling back down; his nose snuggled into Weiss's hair.

Ruby walked over to the doorway of the dorm; grabbing her red cloak and some shoes before quietly opening the door and shutting it behind her. Once outside the dorm, she slipped into her shoes before draping the cloak around herself. "Stealth mode!", she whispered gleefully, as she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head before making her way out of the dorm building.

It didn't take very long for Ruby to decide where she should look first. In fact, she didn't even need to decide as she knew already where Yang would be. Ruby walked out just past the dormitories of Beacon to the small forest at the edge of the academy. Since the forest was still located within Vale's natural borders, it was free of any grim that might otherwise inhabit it. Students often would use the woods to practice their more lethal combat skills that were too dangerous to perform on school grounds.

After only a few yards into the thin forest, Ruby could hear the loud thuds of Yang's Ember Celica gauntlets. he followed the sound until she reached a large clearing. In the center of the clearing were several large boulders. Each one was riddled with hundreds of chipped edges, burn marks, and impact craters from students using them to hone their skills for combat.

The large stones were originally placed there by the Bacon staff to be used as a training ground for the students. Located in the center of the boulders was a thick rectangular block made entirely of dense metals. For the students who truly wanted to test their strength, the large monolith stood as the ultimate challenge. To even crack the structure was a feat in itself. In fact, in the many years the training ground existed, only four students had ever managed to break the structure completely; resulting in a new monolith being forged to take its place.

Yang stood facing the metal structure. Feet spread and arms in a ready stance, she stood with her eyes closed while focusing her breath. Ruby watched her sister. She always loved to watch her sister train. Yang was so much stronger than Ruby was and she supposed that's what she admired most about her. No matter how hard Yang was hit, she would just get back up and come back fighting stronger than before. Even her semblance reflected that personality of hers.

As Ruby secretly watched from beyond the tree line, Yang began focusing her aura. As she built up her energy, her long hair began to glow bright yellow until it finally burst into flame. As she reached the peak of her power, Yang's eyes burst open, revealing their now dark red color. A trail of ember flames trailed behind her as she thrust her body forward. Her first pulled back, she screamed at the top of her lungs as she pushed forward. Just before she could collide with the thick monolith, she thrust her fist forward with all her might. As her flaming fist hit the monolith, a loud crack sounded through the air as her Ember Celica shot forth an explosive round at the moment of impact.

Dust from the earth was thrown in all directions as Yang made contact with the monolith. Ruby's eyes squinted shut as dirt flew through the air; blinding her. Once the air cleared, she looked back to her sister to see the result of her attack. Yang stood against the monolith, her fist pressed hard against its surface. Yet despite all the power she had put into her attack, the monolith remained unfazed save for a large scorch mark spread across its surface.

Yang fell to ground, her knees hitting the hard dirt as she began punching the ground in frustration. Over and over she struck the earth, yelling as each punch sent an explosive round into the ground. She did this until her gauntlets finally ran out of ammo; forming a large crater around her. Out of ammo and exhausted, she propped her back against the unyielding monolith panting while she rested on the ground.

After a few minutes of watching this, Ruby stepped out from the shadows of the forest tree line. Without saying a word, Ruby walked to her sister; too exhausted to hear her approach, she nearly jumped when Ruby spoke.

"You're punch sure has gotten stronger Yang.", she said with a smile.

Yang looked up, surprised to see her sister out in the forest so late at night. "R-ruby," she began, "What are you doing here?"

Ruby turned and sat down next to her big sister against the monolith, "I was looking for you. I got worried when you weren't in your bed."

Yang held her head low, staring at the crater her punches had made into the earth, "How'd you know I'd be here?" she asked.

Ruby smiled as she leaned against her sister, pulling her cloak tighter around her pj's to block out the chill of the nighttime air. "Because the last time I disappeared in the middle of the night back home, it was caused I wanted to train. So...I just sort of figured you'd do the same thing," Ruby looked up at her sisters face. Yang looked back but looked away; a large frown on her face."

"I'm not strong enough," she said at last.

Ruby giggled, as she looked up at the monolith behind her. "Yeah, but I doubt even most of Beacon seniors could break this big'ol rock that easily."

"No," Yang interrupted. "That's not what I mean," Ruby sat up, looking at her sister. Something was different. The usually unyielding spirit her sister possessed seemed completely non-existent this night.

"What exactly do you mean?" ,Ruby asked.

Yang's fists clenched as she thought about events that had transpired only the previous day. "Back then," she began, "Back on the train. While you and Oobleck were taking care of the enemies on top of the train. Me and the others encountered that weird Neo girl of Torchwick's. The others went ahead to the next train car while I dealt with her, but,.." she paused, "No matter what I did. No matter what kind of attack I used. I couldn't land a single hit on that girl. She just stood there. The whole time, smiling. Like I was some sort of game to her."

Yang looked over at Ruby to see her drooling all over herself, "Mmmm….Neapolitan Ice Cream," she was chanting to herself.

"Ruby! This is serious!" Yang said.

Ruby shook her head, clearing her mind of the images of delicious ice cream. "I-I know it is." she began, "But so what? Sure, you got beat, and sure you might not be as strong as everyone we fight, but who cares. Isn't that precisely why we're at Beacon; to get stronger?"

"It's not just the train." answered Yang, "It's everything. When we fought the nevermore during our first day here, I couldn't make a single dent in it. It wasn't until you guy's formed a plan that we were able to take it down. When I fought the paladin mech, I was only able to destroy it because the rest of you had weakened it. Sure I made the final hit, but only after I got my ass kicked. My own semblance relies on me losing to my opponent. But against that girl on the train, I couldn't even do that."

Ruby sat quietly, thinking about everything Yang had told her. After a few seconds, she came up with the same answer that she always gave when people felt unsure of themselves. "Nope."

Yang pulled her legs up against her chest, holding them with her arms as she rested her chin her knees. "What's that supposed to mean?" she said bluntly.

"It means that you're wrong." Ruby replied. "Yang, you think that you can do everything yourself; that you can put yourself in harms way to protect others, but you're wrong Yang. Look at me, I was a complete mess until you and Uncle Crow helped me, " Ruby giggled, "I may have gotten stronger, but without Crescent Rose I can't even beat low ranking White Fang grunts. "Ruby looked at her sister, "That's why I have you. That's why we're a team. We cover each other's weakness so we don't have to do so alone."

Yang smiled. Ruby was right. Though every victory they had faced was not won by Yang herself, she was still a vital role within each one of those victories. "You know sis. Sometimes I forget how grown up you really are you know th-..." Yang felt something drop against her shoulder. She looked over to see that Ruby had fallen asleep. Her head resting on Yang's shoulder like a child up past their bedtime as she quietly snored.

Yang giggled to herself before she gently lifted up her sister in her arms and began carrying her back to their dorm. "You may be our leader Ruby, but you're still my little sister. And there's no way in hell that I'll never stop protecting you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: First Day Back.

The next day at Beacon academy was rather uneventful. Most of the other students were still out on missions or shadowing hunters. Team RWBY had come home early due to the fact that their mission was completed. Having discovered the plot underneath Mountain Glenn, the team's mission was over. There was no need for any further investigation as the area had soon become a crime scene being overseen by Atlas General, James Ironwood himself.

Nearly all of team RWBY's classmates were gone as well. Sun and Neptune were still out playing junior detectives in Vale while team JNPR was out on the mission they had postponed in order to help with the crisis in Vale not more than a day before. Most beacon professors were also absent, meaning that any students who remained on campus were free to study or relax as they saw fit.

For team RWBY, they had decided to split their efforts. While Blake and Weiss decided to study in the school's library for most of the day, Ruby and Yang decided to try their luck at resuming Yang's attempts to break the training monolith from the previous night.

It was late afternoon by the time Ruby and Yang returned to their dorm. The two girls were covered in sweat and bruises from their day long training session. Most attempts to break the monolith were made by Yang as Ruby quickly realized that speed did not necessarily equal physical strength.

"It's not funny Yang! It really hurt!" Said ruby, rubbing a sore spot on the back of her head from where she had hit the ground.

"Of course it was funny, Rubes!" The blond replied, "Seeing you charge full speed at it holding Crimson Rose behind you, and then the second you make contact, Wham! Ruby Rose stopped in an instant and flat on her back! Haha priceless", she said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.

Ruby blushed deep red from embarrassment. "You didn't hear _me_ laughing when you tripped and landed face first into the wall!" she retorted.

"Well yeah, cause I was laughing too hard to hear it if you were!" Yang said, smiling wide with a gigantic bruise on her forehead.

The two sisters broke out laughing together as they made their way to their dorm room. The two of them were going to be sore for at least another day and were quite ready for a chance to lay in a nice cool bed. Unfortunately for them, the sight they found outside their dorm was not one that invited relaxation.

Weiss and Blake were both standing outside the dorm room arguing about something. As Yang and Ruby got closer, they could see Weiss reaching for something that Blake was concealing behind her back. "Hand whatever that is to me this instant!" the white haired heiress pointed, stomping her heel clad foot on the floor, "It was on _our_ door so T have a right to know what it is!"

"I doesn't concern you Weiss! Just leave it alone!" Black shouted back, her hand held far behind her back in an attempt to keep it from her teammate.

The monochrome pair of girls fought for a few more seconds before their teammates arrived to intervene. "Hey girls," Yang greeted them them with a smile, "_Weiss_ so upset?"

Weiss decided to ignore the awful pun and instead explain the situation. "Well since you were so kind as to ask, Blake here is keeping secrets again."

"I am not!" Blake argued back.

"Then show me what was on that paper!" Weiss demand.

"I told you it's none of your business!", she yelled again.

Before the fight could escalate any further, Ruby rushed in between the two girls to try and extinguish the situation. "Alright alright!" she proclaimed, "That's enough you two!" The three team members looked in shock at their leader behaves like, well, a leader. They calmed almost instantly once Ruby raised her voice. Ruby grabbed the two girls hands before pulling them together. "Listen guys, we're a team. And well, I just don't think that team members should be fighting like this! S-so, make up? Uh...please?"

Despite her awkward 'leadering', Weiss and Blake couldn't deny Ruby was right. They were a team. And the only way they could function as a team is if they could get along. Reluctantly, Blake and Weiss shook hands, leaving their differences aside…...For about five seconds.

After shaking hands and while Blake was distracted, Weiss reached out and snatched the paper Blake was hiding in her hand. "Weiss! I can't believe you would just-" Blake was cut off by a single finger held up by Weiss as she read the note Blake had been hiding from her.

At first Weiss, having no idea what was written on the note, seemed seemed angry as she read it. But as she read the note, her eyes soon went wide with shock before closing them, a large frown on her face. "Blake, what is this?" Weiss asked calmly. Blake said nothing, only looking away, averting her eyes from Weiss. Ruby and Yang looked at each other, unsure of what was going on.

After a few seconds of silence, Weiss repeated her question. "Blake. What exactly is this." She said a little louder. But still, Blake refused to respond. At last, frustrated with her teammates unresponsiveness, Weiss did something she rarely ever did. She cursed. "What the hell is this damn it!" Weiss yelled as she held out the note, giving Ruby and Yang their first look at what was written on the strange piece of paper.

The paper itself was just average white copy machine paper. But the message on the front was not just some average note. Hand written, in red ink and a large font, were the words '_Human Killer'_. Ruby and Yang looked in shock at what they saw. It was no wonder why Blake was trying to hide the note. Being a faunus herself, the note had clearly been written as a message for Blake.

**Author notes: Ok. First i just want to say a few things. I have no idea how to get paragraphs to indent on . If that bothers you, I apologize, but my hands are tied until I find a fix. Also, If the people who are currently following this story could tell me whether RWBY or Rwby should be used in the story. (I just have no idea, but i don't want everyone messaging me. So just current followers. ) For cliff hanger and word count purposes, I cut this chapter short. It just makes it easier to produce the story at a constant rate. Especially during the weekend when I have to go to my job. I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I know I am and It's going a lot better than I expected too. I was worried about how I would write humor in this story, but I feel like its going pretty well. Thanks again for reading. ****_(Yes I know 'Leadering' is not a word)_**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Planting The Seeds.

By now the entire team was looking at Blake, who was doing her best to avoid eye contact with the three girls staring at her with concern. It wasn't as if Blake wasn't used to such notes on left on their door. In fact, since she arrived at Beacon, Blake had received a number of varying threats and insults directed toward her. Even though most of the students at Beacon were unaware of her faunus heritage, it still didn't stop the notes from appearing when ever she was kind to one of her fellow faunus classmates. 'Traitor' and 'Freak lover' were only some of the insults left on their door by some of the more bigoted students. And once word began to spread that Blake was a faunus herself, the insults only got worse.

For the most part, Blake had been diligent in keeping her friends from seeing the notes. She was often the first one out in the morning and the first one back in the evening. She didn't want to get her friends into her own problems. But it was today that she had screwed up.

Weiss had seen the note before Blake could hide it, and was now demanding to know why she had tried to do so. Weiss stood there holding the note out, waiting for Blake's answer. "Why were you trying to hide this from us?!", Weiss demanded once more.

"I told you! It's none of your concern!" Blake shot back, "Just drop it and leave it alone!"

"No I most certainly will not! If someone is leaving this trash on our door, I want to know who and why!" Weiss objected, Throwing the note on the floor in a crumpled mess. "Who did this!? It was that Cardin creep wasn't it!? I swear, I will do what Nora never did and break his legs!"

"No!" Blake shouted back, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you would act like this, thats why I just wanted you to stay out of it!"

Ruby stepped forward, hopping to be able to quell the rising tempers of her team mates. "Blake, we're just worried about you. If something's wrong, we just want to help."

Blake looked sharply back at Ruby, but quickly changed her demeanor after seeing the look of pure sincerity on the young girls face. Despite how much she may disagree with her team, Blake could never be mad at Ruby. Perhaps it was the girls younger age, but Blake was simply unable to hold on to her anger whenever she spoke with Ruby.

"I'm sorry." Blake said, " It's just that….I've dealt with these kinds of things my whole life. Being a faunus, I've seen all manner of things worse then just insults posted on my door. I just didn't want my problems to become all of yours as well."

"But that's exactly my point," Blake looked over at Weiss who was now much calmer. "Do you remember that night at the docks; the day we learned you were a faunus?"

Blake nodded, "Yes."

Weiss asked, "Do you remember what I said to you after we found you again?"

Blake exhaled, "You told me that the next time something big like this comes up, I should come to my teammates."

"That's right. We're not just some companions who you can choose to block out. We're your teammates. We're your friends Black. And no matter what some low life posts on our door, we will always be there to help."

"Weiss is right Blake," began Ruby, "You're not allowed to have problems that are separate from the rest of us. If one of us has a problem, It's all our problem."

Blake wiped her eyes, not wanting her friends to see them tear up like she feared they would. Despite being a faunus who was once a member of the White Fang, and despite the slander and angry cries they may hear from those around them, Blake knew in that moment that she had blessed with some truly great friends.

"Thanks you guys. For putting up with a horrible friend like me." Blake said with half smile.

"Hurry! Another emotionally depressing situation is defeated at the hands of team Rwby!" Proclaimed Ruby, as she pulled all four of them together into a big hug."

"Oh my god! Ruby! You and yang are covered in sweat and filth!" Weiss protested from the forced close contact.

"Oh come on Weissy," Yang added as she helped tighten the group hug, "Ruby hugs are great!"

The whole team (minus one struggling and dirt covered Weiss) laughed. And for now, it seemed all the problems of the real world had disappeared.

But as the night drew to a climax and the rest of team Rwby slept in their respective bunks, Blake couldn't help but think about the red inked note placed on the door. '_Human Killer'_, the note had said. There was something about the words chosen that deep down, worried and disturbed Blake. In the distant memories of her past, Blake knew that the message was not just some random act of intolerance. The message was an accusation.

Not far away, on the top of one of the many Beacon tower spires, Adam Taurus was contemplating his next objective. He sat on the edge of a windowsill, his feet dangling from the several hundred feet drop in front of him as he watched the Building which housed the dormitories of Beacon's many students.

"How blinded you have become Blake," Adam thought to himself, "But I will remove the veil covering your eyes soon enough. And when I do, the seeds I have planted will take root. And the Belladonna will bloom just as beautifully as it had so long ago."

Adam stood from his perch, breathing in the cool night air before leaping from the tower and disappearing into the darkness. He left not a trace of his being there, save for a single red pen.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Belladonna.

Team Rwby decided to head into town, the following day for some relaxation. Ruby and Yang were still sore from their training the previous day and despite making up, Blake and Weiss didn't exactly want to spend time alone together without the presence of others around. Not because they were still angry with each other, but simply due to the awkwardness of the whole situation. Since Ruby and Yang would be resting most of the day, and Blake and Weiss weren't going to do much together, Weiss had made the suggestion of going into downtown Vale.

It had already been two days since the grim breached the city during the team's mission in Mountain Glenn. The streets of Vale were still sparse of it's usual crowds and shouting vendors. Where one would normally expect to see some store clerk handing out flyers on the street corner, now stood motionless Atlas drones.

The drones, for the most part, made the citizens feel uneasy. When the military showcased their creations, people often felt safe knowing such advanced technology was protecting them. But seeing the drones actually doing their jobs in the middle of Vale made the people realize that they were in-fact machines of war.

As team Rwby walked along the streets, they noticed that nearly every other shop or restaurant had chosen to keep its doors closed. Already the team had failed twice to find a cafe that was still open and were wondering where one might be found.

"What about the place on 5th and Iron?" asked Yang.

"That one's closed too," Blake answered, "Saw it on the way here."

"Well this is just great," remarked Weiss, "All I wanted was a nice cup of warm tea and a pastry and now we've wasted half the morning walking around with no end in sight," she sighed, "Maybe we should just head back to Beacon. What do you think Ruby?"

Ruby didn't hear Weiss' question. She was too preoccupied on what what was happening just down the street. "Hey guys. What's going on over there?", she pointed.

The team looked to where Ruby was pointing. Down the street they could see what appeared to be a mix of military and local police officials. Bright police lights and crime scene tape began to gather the interests of what few people were out on the streets.

"I wonder what happened," Blake wondered aloud.

"Well we won't see anything from here," said Yang, "Let's go check it out."

"W-wait!" Weiss protested, "Can't we at least grab a bite to eat first? I'm starv-" She couldn't even finish her sentence before Ruby, Yang, and Blake took off to see what was going on. "Ugh…. I why do I even try to live a normal life?"

As they made their way through the slowly growing crowd, the team could hear whispered comments made from the surrounding bystanders. "Do you know what happened?" "I heard someone was attacked." "I heard a man scream earlier." "What's going on? First grim and now this?"

Ruby was the first to make it to the edge of the military barricade before a soldier stopped her from proceeding. "Sorry Miss, civilians are allowed no further. Please stay behind the barricade so we can do our job." the soldier said, holding out his arm to block her way.

Before Ruby could respond she heard Yang behind her as her sister held out her scroll device as identification. "Surely you can make an exception for a beautiful huntress?" she said half seductively.

The soldier was unmoved, "Im sorry ladies. But due to recent events, we are only allowing full fledged huntsman and those assigned to the task force to be involved in police matters."

Yang pouted, having been unsuccessful in her attempts to get through the barricade. "Well that was strange," she said.

"What do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe mind our own business?"Weiss suggested, arriving with Blake through the crowd. "I mean just because we've gotten into trouble before, doesn't mean we should make a habit of it."

"Oh Weiss, don't be such a diamond plated stick in the mud. Staying out of trouble just wouldn't be the team Rwby way," Yang said with a mischievous smile.

Weiss' stared at her blonde teammate with an unamused face, "You're a clear inspiration to responsible huntress's everywhere," she replied sarcastically.

While Weiss continued to bicker with Yang, Ruby and Blake decided to see what they could find out by scouting the scene. The military and police force had blockaded a large arching area covering the edge of an alleyway to nearly halfway across the road. From where they stood, Ruby and Blake could see officials moving in and out from the alleyway. Clearly the source of whatever had occurred. An occasional flash from a police photographer could be seen from the dimly lit alley.

For once, Blake was happy that she had such large cat ears for listening into distant conversations. Normally such hushed tones were only the snickers and insults of bigoted humans, but today Blake's hearing was perfect for deciphering the conversations of the police in the alleyway.

Even from under her bow, Blake could easily hear conversations being had from well out of the average human's audio range. Slowly but surely, Blake began filtering out the noise of the crowd around her, Weiss and Yang arguing, and Ruby whining because she was too short to see over the unusually tall man in front of her, as she began focusing her hearing on the investigators in the alleyway.

"_Man, who could have done something like this?_

"_I don't know sir. I've never seen anything like it inside the walls before. Looks like a grim attack." _

"_Except this was no grim. Look, the slash through the neck and the puncture wounds through the chest; clearly a person is responsible for this. They even went so far as to gouge out the man's eyes." _

"_I think it's clear to say that 'person' is the wrong word. Clearly the work of a faunus."_

"_What makes you say that?"_

"_Just look at the victim. This guy was an active supporter for the anti-faunus movement, saw him on stage a week ago while supervising the rally they had." _

"A faunus?" Blake thought, "It would make sense, given the clues, but what faunus would commit such a gruesome murder in the middle of the day." As she thought those words, a distant memory attempted to rise to the surface of her mind, but Blake quickly suppressed it. After all such a thing couldn't be related to this murder after all this time.

Blake's thoughts were interrupted by Ruby tugging on her sleeve. "What is it Ruby?" Blake said half annoyed by the interruption. After no response came Blake looked over to Ruby who was pointing towards a group of police and military all standing around a table off the side of the alley. Blake focused her hearing once more, trying to discern what was going on.

"_Whats all this?"  
_"_Flowers."_

"_I know flowers, I mean why were they scattered all over the crime scene?"_

"_Probably a joke. The flowers are called deadly nightshade."_

"_Some sick sense of humor there. I hear they also go by the name Belladonna." _

Blake gasped, her eyes wide with what she had heard. Her heart jumped as her chest felt heavy. Memories. Distant memories came flooding back through her mind despite trying her best to forget them. It was in this moment that Blake realized. The note on her team's dorm, the murder, the flowers; they were all a message. A message to her.

Ruby looked back towards Blake and noticed the grim expression on her normally so composed face. "Blake? What is it, what did you hear?"

Blake stood trembling, she hadn't even heard Ruby's question. All she could hear was the screaming. Screaming from a distant past she had tried so hard to forget. Without another word, she ran; using her aura to disappear as fast as she could; nearly knocking down a still bickering Yang and Weiss as she ran past. She thought she heard Ruby call after her, but she ignored it. She had to get away. She needed somewhere quiet to sort out her head.

After she ran several blocks away from the crime scene, Blake finally stopped in a back alley near several closed. shops. She stood, one arm propped against the cold brick wall as she bent over, gasping for breath. Her heart was pounding a mile a second as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"It can't be," she spoke aloud, "Someone knows, but it just can't be! I buried that part of my past years ago! So why now?! Why?!" She slammed her fist into the wall, knocking loose a few pieces of the old brick.

Blake was on the verge of tears as her eyes began to water. She would have knelt down and cried there and then if it weren't for the voice that spoke behind her.

"Hello Blake. It's been a long time."

"Blake's mind shot back to her surroundings as she heard the familiar voice. At first she didn't respond, but slowly she turned back to see the person she least wanted to. A person from her past who helped her through the worst parts of her life. He was her friend, her teacher, and now her enemy.

"Adam…"

Authors notes:

"Did you think I was dead? Did you think I had forgotten all about this story? Nope. But turns out, I'm a lazy little poop who stopped writing due to school work and never picked it back up again. This chapter had literally been sitting on my computer half finished for months and I just couldn't find the resolve to get it done. But with season 3 of Rwby coming up, I had to do something before canon destroyed my entire mindset for this story.


	8. Chapter 8

To whom it may concern...Omg! Guys! Im so sorry. I truly pity anyone who tried to read through all that gibberish on the fist upload of chapter 8! I dont even know what happened! But what's below should be fixed now. I hope. Everything below should be as I had intended it to be written when I published it.

**Chapter 8: Tragedy and Trauma part 1.**

Vale. One of the great kingdoms of Remnant. For the people who find refuge in this humble metropolis, life is good. With the city protecting them the grim horrors outside the walls, the people here were able to create a bustling community of hope. From scholarly academies, economic prosperity, Vale was a beacon of light in the dim world just outside its borders. For the people that live here life is good. But, only for the people.

For a faunus, life in Vale can only be described as slightly better than being hunted by a pack of grim beowolves. For faunus are not people. No matter what any person or law may tell you, the simple fact remains; in Vale faunus are not people. At least not in the hearts of its citizens. When a faunus receives a job to make ends meat, they are paid only half as much as people. When a faunus is found beaten to death on the street, animal control is the first to respond. When a person is found murdered, every nearby home or business owned by a faunus is ransacked or burned until the 'animal' responsible is either killed or imprisoned. Usually both.

Does this not sound like Vale to you? Well then you would be right, if you meant the current Vale. But this is not a story of the Vale you have seen. This is the story of what was; and how what was will dictate what is, and what will be.

The streets of Vale had become inflamed in the never ending seas of turmoil, and were being cleansed by the heavenly flames of revolution. The protests that had been present in the city over the last few days had at last reached their peak. Faunus took to the streets, no longer fearing their deaths as they marched. Many who had once coward at the thought of standing up to their oppressors now stood tall; bearing picket signs and banners, while shouting defiant words about justice and equality toward the police. "Faunus are free!" "The White Fang will end this madness!" "Down with injustice!"

These were but a few of the chants and emotional outbursts that fumed from the protesters. Several hundred Faunus had gathered in front of the Vale town hall. Each one screaming for an end to the horrors of discrimination they had had to endure within the walls of the city.

The town hall itself was surrounded by Vale police in an attempt to discourage any thoughts of raiding the building by the protesters. After the recent imprisonment of several groups of corrupt policemen and government officials, responsible for the mistreatment of Vale's faunus populace, most thought that the protests would begin to settle down. But with victory so close in hand, the faunus had decided to push harder to bring a complete and unconditional end to the crimes committed by the people in charge of the city.

The calls for revolution not only spread through the hearts and minds of the adults, but all of the faunus children as well. But among these children, there were two who felt that call stronger than anyone else. And that is where this story begins.

Blake had never been to a large city before. As an orphaned faunus who had lived her whole ten years of life outside the protective walls of humans in the grim infested wilds, Blake found herself bewildered by the tall buildings and large numbers of people. As she wandered through the crowds of protesters, the young cat faunus felt a sense of belonging.

Being an orphan, it was not uncommon to be seen as weak. Blake had had her fair share of bullies and racist slurs thrown at her by humans. It only seemed fitting that she should stand beside those who were fighting for her future. Even though she was only ten, Blake had worked hard to join in every protest that was near her. This night would be her first protest that was both in one of the great kingdoms of Remnant and organized by the White Fang; a group of freedom fighters who's sole goal was to bring the fuanus race back into the hights of respect and glory.

As she traveled through the crowded streets, Blake wondered just what she could do to help the cause. She knew that being at the front of the protest would be too dangerous as well as attract unwanted attention from adults who might try to forcibly remove her from the area saying that 'this was no place for children.' But standing in the back behind a hundred people taller than her would waste her whole trip if she couldn't see anything. Looking around, Blake thought that maybe there would be a nearby box or dumpster that she could climb on to get a better view, unfortunately for her, unlike the worn down towns outside Vale's walls, the city kept its trash and litter inconveniently out of sight.

Just as hope for a high vantage point seemed lost however, Blake saw what appeared to be a large fire escape that overlooked the protest area perfectly on a nearby side street. As Blake made her way over to the latter at the bottom, she realized she wasn't the first to have the idea of watching from above as she saw what appeared to be a young boy leaning against the railing overlooking the nearby crowd.

Carefully, Blake climbed up the cold fire escape ladder leading to the bottom level of the iron structure. After that, she decided she might as well have someone to talk and continued up the next few flights.

"Mind if I join you up here?" she asked the boy once she reached his level of the fire escape. The boy looked back at her; responding with little more than a "hmph" and a nod of acceptance to let his guest know it would be fine.

The boy was young, probably around the same age as Blake herself but slightly taller, with short red hair, a black jacket, and although still developing, the beginnings of what some might call handsome facial features. Even Blake, who had never really given much thought about boys could easily tell that this boy was probably swooned over by every girl he came across. Some of which might even be human. At first glance, the boy didn't even appear to be a faunas. Unlike Blake, who possessed large obvious cat ears on her head, the boy had nothing more than what appeared to be the beginning growths of black horns poking out from the top of his red hair.

Blake stood next to the boy, her arms crossed as the two of them leaned against the railing overlooking the crowd. After a few minutes of standing in silence together, Blake decided she should break the silence in the air to help the time pass. "I wasn't expecting to see any kids my age here. Usually, its just me all by myself."

"I'm thirteen," the boy replied.

"I'm sorry?" asked Blake confusedly

"I'm thirteen," He said again, "I'm not a kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, its just, we're around the same height so I thought we might be the same age."

The boy just stood there, staring at the crowd with a stoic look upon his face. "You wouldn't be the first to underestimate me," he sighed.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake.

The boy frowned, "I've stood by their side. Through thick and thin, I've helped them fight off grim and even hid them from police raids when they were clumsy and got caught. And now, when we finally have a chance to fight back against the humans, they tell me I'm too young to fight!" The boy was noticeably angry now, but Blake had no idea why.

"Who are you talking about? Why are they fighting?" Blake asked.

"The White Fang of course!" the boy shouted back as he slammed his hand on the metal railing in front of him.

Blake wasn't sure what the boy was getting so agitated about, but she was quickly feeling an awkward tension that was building as the boy spoke, so she decided to change the subject. "So, you're in the white fang?" she inquired, "I've heard the stories about how the white fang is changing the lives of faunus everywhere, but I've never actually met a real member before."

The boy smirked; a subtle grin spread across his lips. "Well, not exactly," he began, "I mean, I know a lot of people in the white fang, a lot of which are close friends of mine. I suppose at best you could call me a white fang trainee."

"Why aren't you a full fledged member?" asked Blake, "Is it because you're short?" she said with a giggle.

The boy blushed; his face filled with the embarrassment of being the same height as a little girl three years younger than himself. "O-of course not!" he said, stumbling over his embarrassment, "I-Im just so cool that they thought I would outshine them that's all!"

Blake leaned in close, starring into the boys eyes, "You couldn't fit into the uniform could you?" The boy looked at Blake completely dumbfounded, "How could she have known that?" he thought. Blake smiled with a wide grin, "hehe, hit the nail on the head didn't I?"

"You know, for a kid you've got a lot of nerve!" he said as he pulled on one of Blake's cat ears. "Hey! Ow stop it!" she squealed, half giggling.

Despite coming for the protest, Blake found herself spending the next hour or so talking with the boy up on the fire escape. The two of them were having such a fun time talking that neither one realized that the crowd below had grown more restless as the night went on. What started as a peaceful protest was beginning to grow more dangerous as occasional rouge bottles were being thrown toward the police blockade in front of the town hall. Though through the dense crowd, the police were unable pinpoint their origins. They couldn't see the masked men hiding behind the scenes; trying purposely to escalate the situation further.

"So then if you've done everything it takes to join, why haven't they accepted you as one of them yet?"

"It's complicated," The boy began, "It's true I've done everything they asked, but a friend of mine who recruits new members is refusing to let me join."

"Doesn't sound very fair to me," Blake replied with a huff. "Some friend. He should just accept you already and let you join."

The boy smirked, "Maybe, but it's just because he's looking out for me. He doesn't want to put me in any direct harm. But after tonight. If I can get through the danger tonight he says he'll let me join."

Blake looked at the boy inquisitively, "Why would tonight be dangerous? This is just a protest isn't it?"

The boy's expression became serious. He looked at Blake, unsure if he should continue speaking. He'd already said too much, but somehow felt he could trust her as he continued on. "Do you see that big building?" he said pointing, "The one surrounded by police."

"The town hall? What about it? said Blake.

"It's not just the town hall, It's also the city's police head quarters," he explained, "Whenever a fauns like us was arrested, they would bring them there for interrogation." He knew he should stop. This girl, three years younger than himself was too young to be involved in things like this. Yet despite knowing that, he kept talking. "But unlike humans who get a good cop bad cop routine, a faunus usually just gets tortured.

Blake gasped as her eyes went wide. "Th-thats horrible! How could they let such a thing happen?!

"That's just it. No one knew. The big wigs up top kept it all a secret. Anyone who was tortured never made it back out to tell anyone about it, but...we knew," They boy looked back at Blake with a fire in his eyes she had not seen before. "But after tonight, the White Fang is gonna make sure it never happens again he paused "Because we're gonna blow it up."

In less than a second, Blake was rushing down the fire escape, she had to tell someone, anyone about what was going to happen. She knew that if she didn't people would get hurt or even worse. And not just the police and the people in the building, but her fellow protesters. Some of which could be friends of her or someone she knew. Blake had to stop it before it was too late.

As she reached the ground and headed for the mob of protesters, she screamed as the red haired boy landed in front of her after having leapt from the fire escape balcony above; cutting off her path.

"Where do you think you're going?", he asked menacingly as he stood from his crouched position after the fall.

"Th-this is wrong! We can't let this happen! I-I'm going to tell someone!", she said defiantly.

The boy closed his eyes and shook his head, "I can't let you do that. These humans need to pay for what they've done to our people."

"But not like this!" she fought back, "There has to be another way! People...Our people are going to get hurt from this too! She tried to push past the boy, but Blake soon discovered that despite being the same height, age and gender still determined which of them was stronger as she found herself pushed back onto the cold ground.

"Don't you see?" the boy began, "Being peaceful will only cause faunus like us to suffer even more. We have to show them that we are to be taken seriously. And the only way to do that is by making them fear the White Fang."

Blake couldn't believe what she was hearing. This boy, her friend, only three years older than herself was a monster bent on not only ending the lives of what could be innocent humans, but also was willing to put at risk the very people he wanted to protect.

The boy looked down at her, feeling pity for the girl he'd opened up to. She wasn't ready. He should have been more discreet. But there wasn't much more he could do at this point. The boy walked towards Blake, as she fell back against the wall next to her as the boy walked past her.

"Do want you want," he said solemnly. "Do whatever you think is right. I just hope you don't later regret it."

As the boy walked away, Blake stood up and began running toward the crowd of protesters. But as she got closer, she realized the once peaceful crowd had become violent. Police in riot gear fought in ever dwindling numbers against a sea of angry faunus. Blake knew she had failed to make it in time. Even if she told someone now about the impending explosion, there's no way that the message will be heard in time by the right people to stop it. She fell to her knees, and began to cry as the sounds of angry protesters were drowned out by the sound of an explosion ripping through the stone walls of the town hall, and all sight was blotted out as a wave of dust and debris flew through the streets of Vale.

**...Author notes...**

So I wish I had a good reason for why it took me so long to update this story, but its just that I just lost motivation to do it. In fact for a good portion of the year I had lost a lot of interest in RWBY as a whole. I watched Vol. 3 and everything, but I still didn't have a whole lot of interest in it. Then one day I was starting to get back into reading fanfiction and thought, "I wonder how many people are pissed at me right now." After I saw some comments on my story, and saw the number of people who were viewing it every month, I felt I should probably do some work on finishing it since I dont wanna look like a jerk. One reason it took so long for me to make this chapter was because I was conflicted in which order I should do this chapter. I could either start it now, or I could start it several chapters later. This thought made me procrastinate on the story for so long that eventually I just sort of lost interest in writing it. Ironically, All my favorite parts of this story were going to take place after chapter 7. Chapter 9 in fact is one of the chapters i'd been looking forward to writing the most. Anyway, 2,600 words on this chapter. dear lord. Funny thing about this story, originally I tried to condense chapters to shorter lengths than I would normally to make each one easier to write, but every time I would start writing, one moment would lead to another and I would realize that im 1,000 words in and only halfway done with the chapter. A lot of my chapters are actually single chapters that i split in half. Particularly, when a chapter's title contains part1, part2, etc... Technically, this chapter is only like halfway done but when it's 2:30 am, and you're at 2,600 words, you kinda just want to end it.


End file.
